Post navigation

Mpls City Council: Ward 13

Bob Reuer’s website was really hard to find: I tracked down his sewer and drain company, then his Twitter, and his Twitter linked to his website. This article has significantly more information about his positions than his website does.

He lists himself as an independent, but he has a pretty standard set of positions for a city Republican: he’s opposed to the $15 minimum and sick/safe time provisions. (From the article linked above: “The Lynnhurst resident described recent actions to raise the city’s minimum wage, require employers to offer paid time-off and restrict the sale of menthol cigarettes as examples of the council overreaching into issues better handled at the state or federal level. Burdensome regulations will drive small-business owners out of the city, he predicted.”)

His website also says, “We need to end political interference with the police department, while holding them accountable for reducing crime, re-establishing safe neighborhoods, and regaining the trust of Minneapolis residents.” I’m not sure how he thinks we’d hold the police accountable without doing things he’d consider “political interference.”

He was one of the candidates for the seat four years ago. At the time, he was endorsed by the Minneapolis Republicans (while nonetheless running as an Independent) and the Southwest Journal ran an article about his criminal record. That’s no longer online, but his letter in response still is. (He was convicted of receiving stolen goods in 1990 and 1997, and — much like Raymond Dehn — appears to have turned his life completely around.)

I’m distinctly un-thrilled by Palmisano’s participation in the “sure, let’s have a hearing now, with a carefully selected set of participants like Bob Kroll” charade on the 4th Precinct protests after the police killed Jamar Clark.

Fundamentally: she’s the Democrat in the race and she aligns with me a lot more closely than I’d expect Bob Reuer would, so I’d put Palmisano in #1 without hesitation and leave the second spot blank. (It really doesn’t matter whether you put Bob Reuer in your second spot or leave it blank since this is a two-candidate race).